Spotify Expands Audiobook Collection for Premium Subscribers
Spotify, the popular music streaming platform, is making a significant move into the world of audiobooks by offering its premium subscribers access to a library of 150,000 titles. Initially launching in the U.K. and Australia, the feature will become available to U.S. users later this year.
This endeavor follows Spotify’s announcement last year that it would expand its services beyond music and podcasts to include the option to purchase audiobooks. The decision to offer audiobooks provides an enticing incentive for Spotify listeners to upgrade to a premium subscription, which starts at $10.99 per month for an individual account. In addition to the audiobook collection, premium subscribers have access to an extensive library of 100 million songs and 5 million podcasts.
Premium subscribers will be able to explore any book marked as “Included in Premium.” Spotify claims that 70% of bestselling books are available within its catalog. By embracing an on-demand model for a substantial portion of books, Spotify is directly challenging Audible, Amazon’s audiobook service.
Similar to music streaming, audiobooks can be downloaded for offline listening and come equipped with automatic bookmarking. To curate a comprehensive catalog, Spotify is collaborating with major publishers such as Hachette, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and RB Media. Moreover, they are working with independent authors and publishers globally, including Bolinda, Dreamscape, and Pushkin, ensuring a diverse selection of titles.
Spotify has expressed its intention to explore ways of extending access to premium audiobooks within family accounts in the future. With this bold move into the audiobook market, the platform is poised to provide a unique and comprehensive subscription experience, further establishing its dominance in the digital media realm.
